Attachment of a first component to a second component for any of a variety of applications may be made by any of several known methods of fastening, including mechanical or chemical fastening. Mechanical fastening, while often practical and reliable, is not always usable for every application. For example, where a first component is being attached to a second component and it is not desirable or practical to drill into or otherwise modify the second component for mechanical attachment, chemical fastening is the only other alternative. This is the case where, for example, a component is to be attached to a glass surface or other substrate (the second component). An example of a component-to-glass arrangement may be seen in the automotive industry where a rear view mirror or a metal hinge needs to be attached to a glass surface. Other examples of component-to-glass attachment requirements exist such as in both home and office construction.
A solution to the bonding challenge was introduced in the form of an adhesive applied between the part to be attached (the bonding part) and the substrate to which the bonding part was attached. The adhesives have been applied in several ways. According to one known approach the adhesive is applied to the bonding part by dosing with nozzles and spraying the adhesive onto the bonding part. While this process can be easy and often inexpensive, it suffers from the need to frequently clean the nozzles in order to maintain a desired level of consistency in the actual spraying from part to part. The sprayed adhesive also tends to be sticky, thus resulting in the possibility that the bonding part will come into contact with another object between the time of the spraying of the adhesive and the actual attachment of the bonding part to the substrate.
According to another known approach a double-sided tape is applied to the bonding part. According to this approach a release layer is removed from one side of the tape and the tape is applied to the bonding part. While the release layer protects against the adhesive from being inadvertently attached to a surface, it also adds an inconvenient step in the process of attachment of the bonding part to the substrate in that the layer must be removed prior to attachment. The release layer may also tear resulting in a portion of the layer being left behind on the adhesive surface and creating the potential for imperfect adhesion of the bonding part to the substrate.
In addition, hot melt guns have been used to melt an adhesive (in the form of an adhesive stick) for bonding to the bonding part. While the use of hot melt guns is relatively easy, only non-structural adhesives can be used, thus this approach has its limitations.
A more attractive method is to provide the bonding part with a formed adhesive element such as a tablet already in position prior to shipment of the bonding part to the end-user. This arrangement is attractive as it results in a bonding part that is ready to bond with no requirement that the end user attach the adhesive tablet to the bonding part. However, it is often the case that the end user wishes to apply the tablet at its facility and according to its own schedule and arrangement. In such a case the concept of a pre-applied adhesive such as the bonding tablet already fitted to the bonding part may not be the optimal choice. In the event that the user wishes to apply the adhesive to the bonding part at its facility an on-site bonding machine may be used. However, known bonding machines can be complex to operate and expensive to own and maintain, with such ownership often being justified only by those users having high part volumes.
Accordingly, as in so many areas of fastener technology, there is room in the art of bonding parts for a practical, easy to use and relatively inexpensive tool for bonding an adhesive to a bonding part.